No, you’re not seeing triple. This is the third time we’ve talked about the new ‘From the Ashes’ X-books. But let us explain: we’ve been doing sort of mini-polls when each ‘wave’ is announced. This wave, however, is just two books, which felt short for a poll. In addition, this is the last batch of books that will be announced while Multiversity is a going concern. So, we decided to put them all together for one last ‘From the Ashes’ Reader Poll!
Let’s recap each of the books, as outlined by our Christopher Chiu-Tabet:
– “X-Factor” by Mark Russell and Bob Quinn. The series will see the government reform the team in response to the post-Krakoa mutant groups popping up around the globe (including some endorsed by their own states), with Angel and Havok as co-leaders, and recruits like Pyro, Frenzy, and Feral. “Whether they believe in their actions or are just doing it for a check, the members of X-Factor are no fools when it comes to shady politics. As hidden agendas rear their ugly head, they’ll fight against the dark consequences and disastrous public opinion from the inside!”
– “Wolverine” by Saladin Ahmed and Martín Cóccolo. The first arc will pick up with Logan living in the Canadian wilderness, where Nightcrawler is struggling to convince him to rejoin the X-Men. Wolverine will become preoccupied with villains old and new though, including an “ancient villain [that] has been bubbling under the surface of the Marvel Universe since the days of myth, and once unleashed, will dramatically alter the scope of Wolverine’s storied history and force him to prove himself a hero like never before.”
– “X-Men,” by Jed MacKay and Ryan Stegman, finds the X-Men now based out of Alaska in the wake of Krakoa’s destruction, and consisting of Cyclops, Beast, Magneto (now in a hoverchair like his old friend Xavier), Psylocke, Kid Omega, Temper (formerly Oya), Magik, and Juggernaut. It will begin on July 10.
– “Uncanny X-Men” by Gail Simone and David Marquez will follow a team consisting of Rogue, Gambit, Nightcrawler, Jubilee, and Wolverine/Logan in New Orleans. Issue #1 will drop on August 7. While not the first woman to pen “Uncanny X-Men” (that honor goes to Fiona Avery, who co-wrote the “Annual 2000”), Simone will be the book’s first female full-time writer.
– “Exceptional X-Men” by Eve L. Ewing and Carmen Carnero will follow Kate Pryde, as she returns to her hometown of Chicago (which, incidentally, is where is Ewing from.) Unfortunately for her, retirement proves shortlived, as Emma Frost ropes her into mentoring three new young mutants: Bronze, Axo, and Melee. The first issue will be released on September 4.
– “X-Force,” written by Geoffrey Thorne (“King in Black: Black Panther”) with art by Marcus To (“Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings”). Forge will headline this run with Rachel Summers, Betsy Braddock, Sage, Surge, and Tank in tow, alongside a rotating line of specialists he’ll recruit to deal with specific threats. First up in this series of special guests: Deadpool. Issue #1 will be released July 31.
– “Phoenix,” by writer Stephanie Phillips (“Spider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider”) and artist Alessandro Miracolo (“White Widow,” “Star Wars: Yoda”). The book will follow Jean Grey, once again the host of the Phoenix Force, as she follows a distress signal from Nova/Richard Rider “to the edge of a black hole, where hundreds of lives hang in the balance.” It will mark the first solo series starring Jean using her most infamous codename, and begin on July 17.
– “NYX,” written by Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing with art by Francesco Mortarino (“Dark Web: Ms. Marvel”). Starting July 24, the book will follow five different mutants — Ms. Marvel, Anole, Wolverine (Laura), Prodigy, and Sophie Cuckoo — living in New York City. It marks the third “NYX” series, following the original seven-issue 2003-2005 run by Joe Quesada, Joshua Middleton, and Rob Teranishi, and Marjorie Liu & Kalman Andrasofszky’s 2008 follow-up “NYX: No Way Home.”
So, vote in the poll, and we’ll see you back here on Monday for the results!